Heat exchange device



y 1944 P. F. SPERRY 2,353,274

HEAT EXCHANGE \DEVICE v Filed March 20, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 11, 1944. P. F. SPERRY HEAT EXCHANGE DEVICE Filed March 20. 19:7 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 radiator core.

' Patented July 11.1944

HEAT EXCHANGE nrivron Phllmoro F. Sperry. Chicago, 111., assign'or to Excel Auto Radiator Company, a corporation of Delaware Application March 20, 1337, Serial No. 132,333 I (or. 257- 137) 14 Claims. The present invention relates .in one of its uses to heat exchange apparatus and is particularly adapted to be embodied in a heater'ofthe type commonly employed in automobiles to utilize the heat of the cooling fluid in the internal combustion engine toheat airwhich is thereafter 'used to heat the interior of the automobile and to clear'the windshield.

Generally speaking the invention contemplates the provisionof a composite fan structure by virtue of which an entire area is subject to emcient air and gas displacement through the agency of two appropriate fan elements which create two useful streams moving preferably to ward opposite sides of a plane which is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said fan elements, together with means to prevent any substantial commingling of said two streams at the Thei'eatures and advantages of the invention will appear more readily from the following description, referencebeing-had to the accompanyfan structure.- In view of the well known ineficiency of the central portion of a propulsion fan, my invention contemplates the-addition of an efficient fan element so that the entire area of the fan structure creates an eflicient air movement. The two fan elements are thus, in a sense, complementary. Even if the well known propulsion fan element were to extend completely toward the center of the complementary suction fan element the central portion of such propulsion fan blades would not seriously interfere with the air movement created by the suction fan.

One form of the invention is embodied in a heater comprising a housing which encloses a An electric motor mounted on the housing drives an air circulating means which forces air through the radiator core in such a fashion as to effectively utilize all of the heating surfaces of the radiator core and to discharge air from the front side of the housing for heating the interior of the automobile while withdrawing air from thecenter of the radiator core with which to clear the windshield or for other purposes.

The r radiator core comprises spaced headers connected by suitable pipes which lead to the circulation system for the cooling'fluid of the internal combustion engine. The headers are connected by tubes and suitable radiating fins are mounted in spacedrelation on the tubes. A motor drives a fan for forcing air acrossethe tubes and between the heat radiating fins thereon.

In the present device, means are-provided where ,by that part of the radiator corewhich is centrally disposed with respectto thefan is utilized to its fullest extent in heating air, by replacing the inefllcient central portionpf propulsion fan blades by an emcient fan structure.

ing drawings wherein a preferred form of the invention is shown:

In the draWings- Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through a heat exchange device embodying the invention and Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. [Referring now in detail to the drawings, the heat exchange device comprises a housing 5 having a plurality of shutters 3, 1, 3, and 3 across I one face thereof. The shutters are pivoted in a ring l3 mounted in the housing by means of ears I I formed on the shutters and pivot pins i2. The ring in is held in position inside a flange i3 on the. housing 5 by a plate i4 fastened to a stud IS on the housing 5 by a screw it and by spring clips i1 fastened to studs l8 by screws l9 so that the ring i3 may be rotated. A handle 23 is provided on the ring for turning it into various positions of adjustment.

The housingi has a rest 2i for supporting a radiator core 22. The radiator core 22 comprises a lower header 23 and an upper header 24. The

' headers are connected by tubes 25. Spaced ilns 23 are mounted on'the tubes 25. The header 23 is connected to a pipe 21 and the header 24 is connected to a'pipe 23. The pipes 21 and 23 are utilized to connect the radiator core into the circulating system for the cooling fluid of an automobile engine. A post 29 spaces the header 23 i I from the front of the housing 5 and a post 30 spaces the header 24 from the front of the housing.

A back plate 3| is mounted on the housing 5 by a plurality of screws 32. The back plate 3i has a central opening 33 and a flange 34 around the opening 33. A- mountin'g bracket 35 is-secured against the back plate by spot welding a pair of flanges and 31 to' the back plate. The back plate also carries a pair of fan supporting brackets 33 and which are secured to the back plate by spot welding.

A motor 43 is supported on the brackets 33,, and 33 by a mounting plate 4|. The plate 4i is riveted or otherwise secured to the housing of the motor 43 and is fastened to the brackets 33 and 33 by bolts 42 and 43. A fan housing 44 is 'secured on the plate 4! by a plurality of rivets 45 ll is welded or otherwise secured to the fan unit 50 andisnxedtotheshaftli byasetscrcw II.

The fan unit I comprises a cylindrical portion 52 provided with vanes 58 adapted to draw air out from the interior of the cylindrical portion and discharge it into the housing 40. The housing 44 is provided with an outlet I to which a flexible tube 88 may be applied for conducting the air from the housing 44 to any desired point, such for example as the windshield of the automobile, The cylindrical shell 52 of the fan unit 50 is open at its outer end and carries a ring 68 upon which a plurality of fan blades 51 are secured. The ring SI is welded to a flange I. on the shell 82 and the blades 81 are welded to the ring ll. A ring 58 is secured on the has 26 of the radiator core and ispreferably slightly larger than the interior diam-, eter of the ring II.

The core I! is pressed against the stops 2! and 30 by the back plate ii and suitable yielding pads 60 and ii are interposed between the back plate 3i and the headers 28 and 24, respectively.

The operation of the device is as follows:

When the fan unit iii is rotated, the fan blades 51- are so arranged as to force air from the back of the housing I through the radiator core and out past the shutters 6, I, 8, and 8. The shutters 8, 1, 8, and 8 may, of course, be open to any desired degree. The fan vanes BI, however, will at the same time discharge air out into the housing 4 4 and draw air through the radiator core 22 and through the ring 58 into the interior of the shell 52. In this manner the central portion of the radiator core is utilized in heating air for discharge through the housing to the flexible tube 55. The fan blades 51 drive air through the rest of the core and in this way utilize'the core -to its fullest advantage in deriving heat from the liquid circulating through the core to the air.

While I have shown and described certain embodiments ofmy invention,'it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the appended claims, in which it is my intention to claim all novelty inherent in my invention as broadly is permissible in view of the prior art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, a heat exchange device comprising a housing, a radiator core disposed within said housing, and means for circulating air through the radiator core, ,said means comprising a suction fan having an intake opening for withdrawing air from the central portion of said core and a radially outer fan driving air into the outer portions of said core.

2. In combination, a heat exchange device comprising a housing, a radiator core disposed within said housing, and means for circulating air through the radiator core, said means comprising a. suction fan having an intake opening for withdrawing air from the central portion of said core and a radially outer fan driving air into the outer portions of said core and a fan housing for the inner fan having a discharge outlet for connection to an air conduit.

In combination, a heat exchange device comprising a housing, a radiator core disposed within said housing, and means for circulating air through the radiator core, said means comprising a suction fan having an intake opening for withdrawing air from the central portion of said core shell, said housing having a peripheral discharge 4. In combination. a heat exchange device comprising a housing. a radiator core disposed within said housing. and means for circulating air through the radiator core, said means comprising a suction fan for withdrawing air from the central portion of said core and a radially outer fan driving air into the outer portions of said core, said inner suction fan comprising an annular shell having vanes in its periphery for removing air from the interior of the shell and having a central opening toward the core, and said outer fan comprising fan blades mounted on said shell near said central opening. 6. In combination, a heat exchange device comprising a housing, a radiator core disposed within said housing, and means for circulating air through the radiator core, said means comprising a suction fan for withdrawing air from the central portion of said core and a radially outer fan driving air into the outer portions of said core, said suction fan comprising an annular shell having vanes in its periphery for removing air from the interior of the shell and having an axial opening centrally of said core, and said outer fan comprising fan blades mounted on said shell outwardly of said axial opening, a housing for said opening, said fan blades being outside the shell housing.

6. In combination, a heat exchange device comprising a radiator core having inlet and outlet means for connection to a source of heating fluid, and means for circulating air through said core, said means comprising fan means forcing air in one direction through the central portion of said core, and a second fan means forcing air in the opposite direction through that part of the core surrounding the central portion, said first named fan means comprising an annular shell having vanes in the periphery thereof, and said second fgnnmeans comprising fan blades'carried by said s e 7. In an automobile body heater, a substantially vertical forwardly facing radiator, a unitary fan member rotatably mounted about a substantially horizontal axis in back of said radiator, said unitary fan member including a centrifugal fan having a substantially circular extension thereon trifugal fan, said blade members being positioned forwardly of said centrifugal fan, and a motor for driving said unitary fan member.

8. In an automobile body heater assembly, in combination, a radiator, an axial flow type of fan in back of said radiator for forcing air 'iorwardly through 'said radiator, a centrifugal type of fan in back of said axial flow type of fan, means forming a conduit'between said radiator and contrifugal fan passing centrally through said axial flow type of fan, and means for. driving said fans.

9. As an article of manufacture. a fan unit comprising a substantially cylindrical portion having one of its ends substantially closed, longitudinally extending slots having vanes associated therewith in said cylindrical portion forming scentrifugal fan, the other end of said cylindrical member forming an inlet duct for said centrifugal fan, outwardly directed blade members secured to said centrifugal tan about said inlet duct forming a propeller fan, andmeans to collect the discharge from said centrifugal fan separate from said propeller fan 10. In combination, a heat exchange device comprising a radiator core, and means for circulating air through the radiator core, said means comprising a suction fan withdrawing air from the central portion of said core and a radially outer fan driving air into the outer portions of said core 1L In combination, a heat exchange device comprising a radiator core having inlet and outlet means for connection to a, source of heating fluid, and means for circulating air through said core, said means comprising tan means withdrawing air in one direction through the central portion of said core, and a second fan means forcing air in the opposite direction through that part of the core surrounding the central portion, said first 20 named fan means comprising anannular shell having vanes in the periphery thereof and a central intake opening, and said second fan means comprising fan blades extending radially outwardly of said intake opening.

i2. In combination, a heat exchange device, a

complementary fan structure rotatably mounted about a substantially longitudinal axis in juxtaposition to said device, said structure including a centrifugal suction fan comprising a shell including a portion defining a central intake opening and propulsion fan blades extending outwardly from said portion, andmeans to prevent substantial commingling of the streams created by the said two fans at the fan structure.

13. A fan structure comprising, a centrifugal suction fan having a central intake opening, a

said propulsion fan consisting of blades sloped so as to create, when rotated, a stream flowing in a substantially opposite direction to the stream fiowinginto said suction fan, and means to collect the discharge from said centrifugal fan separate from said propulsion fan.

14. A fan structure comprising a centrifugal suction fan having va central intake opening, a propulsion fan extending outwardly from said opening, and a housing surrounding said suction fan with an outlet separate from the air stream of 2?) said propulsion fan.

. PHILMORE F. SPERRY. 

